Driving directions are one of the most popular mapping applications online. Such mapping applications allow users to receive a map of a path and corresponding directions based on the user inputting starting and ending locations. However, one of the challenges of such mapping applications is that use of the provided map and directions is mainly done offline, such that one of the most common outputs of a driving direction application is a printout of the route map. With a growing trend of providing multimedia content to mobile devices in remote locations, it may become less desirable to require users to have to print the directions in order to use and follow the directions.
Another drawback with the output of current mapping applications is the quality of the image map related to the directions. The related image map is generally not the same as the actual scene that a user will see when traveling. The difference between what is displayed on the route map and the actual scene, as seen from a driver, pedestrian, or hiker for example, may not be trivial. For example, the actual scene may contain a large amount of visual details such as store fronts, houses, vegetation, etc., that are not represented on the map. Not having the actual imagery of what the user is actually seeing may reduce the confidence of the user, such that the user may wonder if he/she has missed an important step in following the directions.